A Fighting Decision
by Dark Roswellian Angel
Summary: 2-parter. Near the end of “Fuhgeddaboudit,” Mia makes a realization about something that she’s missed and helps Max realize she needs to make a decision.
1. Getting the Smackdown by a Realization

Title: A Fighting Decision

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. If I did, "Dark Angel" would still be airing, and Jensen Ackles would be waiting for me when I got home tonight.

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K Plus- due to minor profanity and reference to fight scene

Summary: 2-parter. Near the end of "Fuhgeddaboudit," Mia makes a realization about something that she's missed and helps Max realize she needs to make a decision.

A/N: For the purposes of this fic, I'm moving the order of a few things around during the episode "Fuhgeddaboudit." You'll understand it as you read it.

Getting the Smackdown by a Realization

As she backed away from Logan, Mia spoke, "You are a beautiful, talented man. (turning towards Max) And you? You couldn't be a more rocking, awesome chick if you tried. You two are going to have the best life together. You're going to have it all. The entire fairytale come true. I know life stinks a little right now, but it can't always stink, right? Believe me. If Dougie and I can make it work, so can you."

Just then, "Monty Cora" and his "trainer" walked up to them. The fighter was leaning heavily on the other man. Max couldn't help the guilt as she looked him up and down. While they were in the rink, she could have sworn she could feel him holding back, like he would prefer to lose to her in front of the whole world and lose all of that money rather than really hurt her. Maybe that was why he had tried so hard to keep her from fighting him in the first place.

She, on the other hand, had gone at him wholeheartedly knowing that she needed to win in order to help Logan and stop Mia. She silently admitted to herself that a small part of her had also worried that if he had won, Alec might have decided to leave so that he could continue fighting. But that was only a very small part of her, she told herself. So, as her eyes continued to rake up and down his broken body barely listening while Normal accused her, "Look what you did to him. What the hell are you?" she tried to tell herself that she had done the right thing. After all, what if he had won and brought the attention of White or some leftover Manticore governmental unit on him? She tried to convince herself that once again she had saved his ass. But she just couldn't quite bring herself to believe it, and she couldn't quite ignore the guilt, or the lust.

Mia had looked somewhat surprised when Max's gaze had left hers and gone to the other X5. With an appraising look, the psy-ops agent had also turned to look at the young man. As she looked back and forth between the two of them, she realized with a start that this young man had not fought his opponent with all of his strength. That meant that somehow Alec had managed to break Mia's control over him so that he could keep himself from hurting this particular feminine challenger. A curious look came over her face as she cocked her head to one side and mused, "Hmm. Then again, maybe I have the fairytale ending right, but the prince wrong," so low that only the other transgenics in the room could hear her.

Max looked at Mia in surprise. She noticed that Alec had also looked at Mia very quickly as though he wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. When his eyes turned back to her, she could feel heat rushing to her face. And she felt Logan stiffen noticeably next to her.

Mia knew it was time to leave this scene, though she promised herself that she would check in with them very soon to see how things were going. She wondered if she could help them realize what they hadn't seemed to yet. "All right, Nappy, time to go."

When Mia left, the four people who were left just looked at each other. Actually, two of them looked at each other and the other two watched them look at each other until both Logan and Normal began to feel exceptionally awkward, and jealous. Logan cleared his throat to get Max's attention, and reality slammed into the girl. She started noticeably and looked at the other two guys in the room- a second ago she couldn't look anywhere else, but now she couldn't bring herself to meet Alec's inquiring eyes. Directing herself entirely to her "date," she said, "I'll be right back. I just need to… powder my nose." Without waiting for acknowledgement, she turned and tried her best to not look like she was running away.

The three men looked at each other. Without Max in the room, they realized that they felt slightly less awkward, but they had no idea what to say to each other.

After a few seconds, Logan spoke up. "Well, she might be a few minutes. You guys (he looked pointedly) really don't need to wait for us. Why don't you get home and try to take care of some of those wounds," Logan ended his self-serving suggestion with a note of derision in his voice.

Alec looked at the older man and recognized his words and tone for what they were. He saw him as competition. Alec smirked _Finally_. There wasn't a chance in the world he'd be leaving before they did.


	2. A Decision

Title: A Fighting Decision

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. If I did, "Dark Angel" would still be airing, and Jensen Ackles would be waiting for me when I got home tonight.

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

A/N: For the purposes of this fic, I'm moving the order of a few things around during the episode "Fuhgeddaboudit." You'll understand it as you read it.

Thank you so much to grayceq, PurpleSpinx, LmarikoL, p3karen, Elliesmeow, and mars494 for your reviews. They really mean a lot to me. This is the first fic I've ever posted, and it's so nice to get support. This is the second half of this fic, but I have another one in the works. I hope to hear from you all again ;)

K due to minor profanity and reference to fight scene

2-parter. Near the end of "Fuhgeddaboudit," Mia makes a realization about something that she's missed and helps Max realize she needs to make a decision.

A Decision

As Max ran her face under the faucet in an attempt to get her nerves and feelings under control, she couldn't believe how she had reacted to Mia's words. Or to Alec's stare. It was only when she was completely alone that she was willing to admit to herself how she felt. Alec was becoming an incredible man right in front of her eyes. She was beginning to realize that he always had been; she was only now beginning to see it. She wondered what was making the difference- why had she been so blind to the real him before? What was making her see him now? And why was he able to cause such strong reactions, and feelings, in her now? She was in love with Logan, right? So why was it Alec who made her heart speed up? Why was it Alec who she saw in her dreams? Why was it Alec who she looked forward to seeing and verbally sparring with every day? And why was it becoming increasingly difficult for her to tear her eyes away from him, even when Logan was in the room?

She groaned out her confusion, and then realized that someone had entered the room while her attention had been elsewhere. She looked up and saw Mia's smiling reflection. She turned around in surprise _She left. She made us all think she left. She's still here and snuck in here to talk to me. Oh sh-t_ She could feel herself tensing up.

Mia seemed to be able to read the other girl's thoughts, and she smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Everything is alright. I just wanted a chance to talk to you without your 'boyfriend' hearing us. Is that alright?"

Max relaxed some, but not entirely, and nodded, "What do you want to say?"

"Maxie (as she said it she started realizing how much she had taken for granted. How had she not noticed how the two of them interacted? No one argued that much without there being an undercurrent of a stronger emotion. And even through all the arguments, they managed to show affection for each other. After all, wasn't that nickname something that he had come up with? And hadn't she given him his name- the name he chose to keep?) I wanted to make sure that you knew that the only reason he was willing to fight was because I made him."

Max choked, "You made him? But what if-"

"What if he had won and had gotten the wrong kind of attention? But that wasn't going to happen. You weren't going to let him. And as long as it was you who was fighting him in that cage, he wasn't going to win. He actually broke through my control because he was so worried about hurting you."

Max was astonished. She actually felt a few tears come to her eyes. Her heart began beating faster.

"You know, he really cares about you. I know that he acts all macho and horn-doggy, but that's just because he knows you expect him to. The real him is good and gentle and kind. I guess he's just waiting for the right girl to come along so that he can show what a supportive, loving, strong, and loyal guy he can be… Or maybe he's just waiting for the right girl to realize that she's the right girl and come claim him."

She smiled as she watched the normally tan girl pale just a little as her words washed over her. She decided to push just a little more. "You're his breeding partner, right?" She had never been told as much, but she had begun to put two and two together.

Max couldn't speak; she just nodded in agreement.

"You know that they never paired people up by accident, right? Turns out that Father never intended for us to be alone. He put it into our genes that we were meant to be with one other person- one other _specific_ person. It's only with that person that we will ever feel completely satisfied, completely happy, completely in love." This knowledge had cost Mia a lot.

Confused, Max asked, "What about Dougie? He's not one of us. He can't be the one you were intended for."

Mia smiled rather sadly Max thought. "No, he's not. But Father didn't want us to be lonely. If our intended mate died, like mine did, then he programmed us to be capable of moving on. I'll never be able to love Dougie like I did my soulmate, but I do love him. In fact, I'm crazy about him, and I can be happy with him."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Like I said, I'm happy."

The two girls looked at each other for a few minutes. Mia got off the counter where she had sat next to Max. "Look, Max. I care about Dougie, and I'm going to be happy with him. But if I had a choice, I would be with my Ricky. I know what it's like to be happy and in love with my genetic mate. Don't let the fact that you were designed to be with Alec turn you off of him. Just because you're not able to choose him completely on your own doesn't mean that you wouldn't have anyway. Don't miss out on the happiness that you can find. Follow your heart, Max. Somewhere in there, you know who you want and what you want to do. _You_, not Manticore. It's your heart, even if they did design it."

Max looked at Mia for a few seconds. Knowing that the other agent was speaking from her heart and really wanted her to be happy, even if she was just making things that much more confusing, she smiled at her. When Mia came up to her and gave her a big hug, Max whispered, "Thanks."

Mia pulled back and said, "So, I'll check in on you in a few months. If you need anything, tell Normal. I've left him with a trigger just in case." She said it as though brainwashing someone was the most normal thing in the world- Max couldn't help but smile at the bizarre conversation she was having. "I'll let you get back to your boys. You have a decision to make." And with that, she was gone.

As Max reentered the room, she noticed that Alec and Normal were still waiting for her. She looked at Logan and saw how tense he was. Clearly they hadn't been having the same supportive, heart-to-heart she'd been. As she looked from Alec to Logan and back again, she realized Mia had been right- she did have a decision to make. And as she saw one of the men smile at her, she realized that she already had.


End file.
